Mattresses today are available in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Among the most popular sizes are twin, queen and king. Although the mattresses in each of these size groups have more or less the same nominal length and width dimensions, the thickness or depth dimension of the mattresses often differs substantially among mattresses within the same size group based upon such factors as the construction of the mattresses, their style, the amount of padding, etc.
In view of the large range of thicknesses in which mattresses are available, it is difficult to make a mattress cover which will fit snugly on all of the mattresses within a given size group. For example, a conventional mattress cover, also known as a bed sheet or fitted sheet, typically includes top panel, a skirt extending from the periphery of the top panel and an elastic band along the lower edge of the skirt intended to fit under the mattress to hold the mattress cover in place. Mattress covers of this type typically fit poorly on thin mattresses so that, even with extensive tucking, such mattress covers sag, wrinkle and hang loosely when in use, such that the mattress cover often slips relative to the mattress. At the other extreme, these conventional mattress covers frequently will have a skirt portion which is not sufficiently deep to reach below mattresses which are relatively thick, and therefore will frequently slip off of these mattresses.
To address the foregoing problems, a wide array of systems have been developed for securely holding mattress covers to mattresses within a wide range of thicknesses, as shown, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,322 to Seago and U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,664 to Hollander. These systems have met with little success, often introducing problems which did not exist with conventional mattress covers. For example, one device includes elastic anchor bands attached diagonally across each corner of the panel for engaging below the corners of the mattress. These mattress covers do not engage the mattress securely, and the anchor bands tend to disengage the mattress easily. As a result, the skirt migrates upward while in use to the point that it no longer engages the sides of the mattress and no longer effectively covers the mattress. This is particularly inconvenient when a person is sleeping on the mattress.
A further drawback to prior art mattress covers has been that the placement of discernible indicia on the mattress covers has been visually objectionable. In this regard, any discernible indicia placed on either the top panel of the mattress cover or the skirt portion thereof would ordinarily be visible through a sheet placed over the mattress cover, and would therefore detract from the aesthetic appearance of the sheet. This problem has made it difficult for manufacturers and other businesses to place ornamentation, particularly their trademarks, logos or other symbols, on the mattress covers.
There thus exists a need for a mattress cover which is simple in construction and inexpensive to produce, yet which is capable of accommodating the wide range of mattress thicknesses within a given size group with a proper fit which is neither too loose so as to look sloppy, or too tight so as to easily slip off of the mattress. There also exists a need for a mattress cover to which ornamentation, including indicia of source and other symbols, can be applied without interfering with the aesthetic appearance of a sheet placed over the mattress cover.